Former U.S. cybercriminal-turned-cybersecurity expert Brett Johnson has shared doubts about Nigerian social media personality, Ramon Abbas, known widely as Hushpuppi, finding an easy path toward release and redemption after prison.
Abbas, currently serving an 11-year sentence in the U.S. for international fraud, may face significant obstacles in rebuilding his life, Johnson suggested in an interview with The PUNCH during the GITEX Global event held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Johnson, once on the FBI’s most-wanted list, is now a cybersecurity consultant with high-profile clients such as Microsoft.
Reflecting on his own journey from a life of crime to consulting for tech giants, Johnson noted that his path to redemption is not one he believes will be easily available to Abbas, largely due to social inequalities.
“Hushpuppi may never get the second chance I did,” Johnson remarked, drawing attention to the systemic barriers that may hinder Abbas’s rehabilitation.
Johnson, who once masterminded ShadowCrew, an early online black market facilitating illegal transactions and setting the stage for today’s darknet, eventually found his way out of crime by cooperating with law enforcement.
His experience as a consultant and informant helped him transform his life, but he doubts Abbas will be able to do the same because of biases based on racial and socio-economic factors.
“I don’t know what type of opportunity that man is going to have because of where he is from. That’s the truth, and I think that’s a damn shame, but that’s the way the world is working right now,” he said. Johnson pointed to how such factors tend to favor white males, saying, “The truth of the matter is that white males have more opportunity than he’s (Abbas) going to have.”
Hushpuppi, once a social media sensation with over two million Instagram followers, was known for his displays of luxury, including high-end fashion, exotic cars, and lavish trips.
His affluent lifestyle unraveled after his arrest in 2020 in Dubai, as U.S. authorities accused him of orchestrating intricate fraud schemes that allegedly siphoned funds from numerous victims worldwide.
Johnson emphasized that prison could still be a place for self-reflection and positive change.
“I was told this when I went to prison: whatever you don’t like about yourself, whatever you want to change, you have the opportunity to change that in prison,” Johnson shared, explaining that self-improvement is an option for those looking to leave a life of crime behind.
Encouraging Hushpuppi to view his time behind bars as an opportunity, Johnson advised, “If you’re a criminal and you want a different life, you can work on that from prison and change your life.” He urged Abbas to embrace rehabilitation, noting, “It’s better to help people than to hurt people.”
Through his own life story, Johnson showcased the possibility of transformation but underscored that disparities in opportunity might keep Hushpuppi from realizing the same outcome.
